Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-12-15
A BIT OF GLASS.
The Strange Pathetic Will Of a
Luckless Refugee.

Luckles5 Refugee.
"Your trouble is overwork-lungs
are sound-heat all right-go to the
mountains for a months shooting.
Rough it for four weeks and you are
safe for years of work"
My physician pronounced this ulti-
matum and left me. His advice fell in
with my inclination. For somewhat
over fortnight had been "roughing
it" in the mountains in the interior Of
Virginia. To lose my bearings so COM
pletely seemed an absurdity in one &C
customed to long hunting expeditions,
nevertheless all day long l had seen
neither mountaineer nor mountaincer's
cabin. 1t was keen and chilly-an at
mosphere conducive to a relish for the
most homely of suppers. Tired, hungry
and baffled by the incomprehcnsible
topography Of those great ridges, my
perplexity deepened into the gloomy
certainty of supperless bed under the
pines. 1t frightened suddenly when a
tall man in homespun, with an ancient
gun upon his shoulder, slowly crossed
the ravine below me. A moment later
Twas beside him.
Hits bout dark now, stranger
you just come home wild me-Joe
Craddeck. of Fodder Top Ridge
faint more'n couple NV mile furder
on" he Hospitality urged.
That was how it happened that sat
down that first time before Joe Grad
decks small log cabin.
A fire blazing on the hearth filled
the low ceiled room with red glow of
pitch pine.
1--WE hev strangers toll bull ofting,"
my host remarked. "Howsumever,
the last stranger es come erlong took
sick en- died. That wur on'y jes' when
Dildy's baby gal, kase he give her
buzzom pin wild glass bead in hit.
Dunno or / could call her mine wien
hit wur savin' fur Dildy's glass
sinner"
Luck was against him." I said,
stretching my feet to the blaze. "Did
he meet with an accident?"
"Jes' so, stranger, the accident wur,
he done TUX sick en- died. 'Twan't
long ago. Dildy's growed up sence.
Heah's Dildy now"
He motioned over his shoulder with.
out looking around. A girl of sixteen
stepped into the doorway and hest
tated shyly, while she toyed with hel
long plaits of black hair. Two things
riveted my attention instantly. They
evoked a sudden, irrepressible desire tc
know more of them. They were
Dildy's face and the pin fastening the
collar of Dildy's blue cotton dress
The one was undeniably beautiful
the other simply u mystery in this OBJ
scure cabin. 1t was nothing less thar
one of the finest diamonds l had eve
beheld. Tongues of fire seemed t.
dart and scintillate in weird brillianc,
from the magnificent solitaire. Som,
traces of amazed curiosity and doub
may have been reflected upon my fea
lures, for the mountaineer said;
Hits my Dildy, stranger" by wa.
of introduction. zen l mind me that q
buzzom pin is the one the Cun'el gil
her."
"Will you show it to mep" asked
in bland. persuasive tone, after Did.
had shaken hands with me in shy cor
diality.
Iowned to intense curiosity, not I'M
mixed with some misgivings. The spo
was certainly isolated. The man Grad
deck might be any thing from the unso
phisticated mountaineer to the crafty
INSCRIPTIONS highwaymaa. Closer lip
spection satisfied me that the stone wa
ION color" of remarkable brillianc
and set in old-fashioned style. The frs
glance showed me that 1t was of gres
value.
ut is a beauty" 1 said. cautiously
"Mebbe so; Dildy likes hit" careles:
ly retorted Craddeck. putting at hi
corncob pipe. I'D chunked hit /
the Goals long ago eff the Cun'el G
died hadn't guy that ar thing to Dildy
Hits Gurus how that ar bit Nv glass XII
shine"
"Do you know who the strange
WASP"
Dunno es l ever thought to as
him. Wife, she mout done hit L
jes' come home from follerin' Jackso
an Early four yeah NV fightin' in tn
valley en- round Richmond. Plowir
en- pitchin' corn hedn't KEN hand!
like handlin' a muskit, en-, KEN
think NV hit faint never been hand
sense" he added, meditstively.
WAS the stranger soldier in II
Southern army?"
Dunno as he wur-the Cun'el he
drawed on a Teller en- kilt him, G
somehow he was pow'ful sorry fur
Ifotched him home one night jes'
done you, en- he never went out 4
mo-, NARY tended him, but u